The actor rose to fame after playing a mischievous boy named Liu Xing in the sitcom Home with Kids (2003). He spent the following years starring or playing guest roles that failed to make a splash.

That is, until the summer of 2016, when he performed in the hit online crime-thriller series Yu Zui. The series earned 8.2 out of 10 points on Douban, China's leading TV and film rating website.

"Zhang is no longer a child star ... He's actually a low-key but promising actor," a netizen posted on Zhihu, a Chinese question-and-answer website, after watching the drama.

He became a hot topic on social media last year after co-starring with actress Zhou Dongyu in the romance series Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day.

Zhang has over 20 million followers on Sina Weibo and averages around 500,000 likes for every recent selfie.

He says he enjoys the surge of fame, which may bring opportunities.

"But the happiness of being popular with audiences is greater when I visit remote villages for charity, and the young and old people know my name and the roles I've played," he says, grinning.

He gives his performances scores that take viewers' feedback into account.